June 08, 2010
Music Festival coming to Cape Girardeau
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois Music Festival, based at the School of Music at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, crosses the mighty Mississippi River again for a summer romance.
Edward Benyas, professor and conductor, brings the Southern Illinois Music Festival Symphony Orchestra to Cape Girardeau for a Romeo and Juliet symphonic program.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on June 17 at the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall in the Cultural Arts Center of Southeast Missouri State University’s River Campus. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $6 for all students. Call 573/651-2265 to order tickets in advance, or get them at the door the night of the performance.
The program, following the Romeo and Juliet theme presented in other festival performances by ballet and opera, includes Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture,” and some of the well-known dances from Leonard Bernstein’s compositions for “West Side Story.”
A cello concerto featuring SIUC cellist Eric Lenz, assistant professor in the School of Music, is also on the program. A performance of George Gershwin’s “American in Paris” rounds out the evening.
The Southern Illinois Music Festival, now in its sixth season, is an annual SIUC School of Music event. The multiple venues are part of the community outreach that is integral to the festival. Benyas is the festival founder and the artistic director for the event. For a full schedule of events, visit www.sifest.com.